Domain C Exhibits: Teaching for Student Learning

When doing my multi-day teach in autumn one of the assignments I had my students complete was a parody of the article “How to be a Good Wife.”  I provided students with an exemplary example of student work from the previous year, in addition to providing them with a rubric that outlined the expectations.  This is in line with criterion C₁ because it helped to make learning goals clear to the students.

In my multi-day teach winter quarter I had students access some of their prior knowledge when I had them consider why a sibling who went off to college or to join the military would want to come home again.  Because I had helped them access their prior knowledge and experience, I was then able to help them apply that knowledge to the current aspect of learning.  This was in line with criterion C₂, helping to making content comprehensible to students.

Another way I worked to make content comprehensible to students was by varying my teaching strategies to appeal to a larger number of students.  One of the ways I did this winter quarter was by varying the format of my lessons, such as reading aloud, lecture, recitation, small group work, and whole class discussion.  I also appeal to students’ multiple intelligences by allowing them to write or draw their answers to some of my questions.

In autumn quarter I communicated to my students a sense of relevancy by showing them an example of a Twilight parody involving Buffy the Vampire Slayer in my multi-day teach.   I also used Smart Board technology as a way to reach students with varied learning styles.  This use of pop culture and technology allowed me to appeal to students in a variety of formats that they might be more familiar and responsive to than traditional lectures.  By bringing relevant content into the classroom I was working toward making the content more comprehensible to students.  This fits in with criterion C₂.

Making discussion both meaningful and authentic will help encourage students to extend their thinking, the requirement for criterion C₃.  One of the ways I did this in my winter quarter multi-day teach was during the Dear Abby response letter discussion.  Students were interested in the controversy that this article presented, and felt like the discussion was a low-risk environment.  In my interview with one of the students she said she “felt safe talking in class, and like no one would make fun of her for what [she] said.”  One of the ways I worked to make students feel safe was by having them work first in small, heterogeneous groups.  In the winter I had them mix partner sets before our whole class discussion in order to hear new ideas from their peers, and in the autumn I had student work in groups on the poetry strips project.  The group work allowed students to hear other ideas and engage with their peers in order to expand and extend their thinking.

In my multi-day teaching winter quarter I used a pre- and post-test to monitor students’ understandings of the content, as described in criterion C₄.  I was able to see how students’ understandings had changed over the course of the lesson, and was able to use the pre-test as a means of formative assessment in order to make minute changes to my plans in order to accommodate students.  I also used a discussion web to help scaffold my students into a whole class discussion format, which they were unfamiliar with.  Another aspect of criterion C₄ that I address in this lesson was adjusting learning activities as the situation demands.  I had originally planned to go into a brief discussion of the text the class was reading on the second day of the lesson, but decided that my students weren’t ready to do that yet, and so I make a quick decision to instead use a related Dear Abby article for them to write a response to.

Having students write a response to this Dear Abby article wouldn’t’ have happened if I hadn’t already had it planned as a possible back-up plan, which is one thing teachers can do to use instructional time effectively, meeting criterion C₅.  Because I had a good idea of what I needed to accomplish in my lesson, and had planned back-up options in case the students got done early or weren’t ready to move forward with the plan, I was able to be both prepared and effective in my teaching.

Domain D: Teacher Professionalism

Professionalism means more than just dressing nice and displaying appropriate behavior, though those are important parts of it.  Professionalism in the case of a teacher means not only doing her job in educating the students, but constantly striving to do better at this job.  This means reflecting on her teaching and making changes where necessary, seeking out other professionals and their insights to help adjust her teaching, and helping the students and parents to get on board with her instruction and have confidence that the job can be done.

Criterion D₁ : Reflecting on the Extent to Which the Learning Goals Were Met

Reflection allows the teacher to change her plans, whether it be for the next day or the next year.  Upon reflection she can adjust her strategies for teaching and decide how to help her student better meet the learning goals, helping herself to become a better teacher.  The teacher can also have students self-assess.  This will help the teacher to reflect on whether or not her learning goals were clear, and how secure the students felt with the material.

Criterion D₂: Demonstrating a Sense of Efficacy

Efficacy is a tricky word that is defined as “the capacity for producing a desired result or effect.”  This means that for the teacher to demonstrate a sense of efficacy, she must know that she can, and more importantly will, teach anyone, and that she can, and will, do that job.  The teacher should have a sense of responsibility for her students and for their learning.  If she feels that they are capable learners and can become a positive impact on the world, altering society and the environment for the better, then that confidence will transfer to the students and help them to meet those high standards.  By having and showing confidence in her students the teacher is demonstrating more than effectiveness, she is demonstrating efficacy.

Criterion D₃: Building Professional Relationships with Colleagues to Share Teaching Insights and to Coordinate Learning Activities for Students

A teacher cannot encounter every situation, nor have every good idea herself.  That is why is important for her to develop professional relationships with her colleagues and become a member of the larger professional community of teachers.  By working with other teachers in her field, she can bounce ideas around and develop better, and clearer plans for instruction.  She can also work with teachers across the curriculum to make plans that will help students to make connections between subject areas.  Not only is this good professional behavior, it will ultimately benefit the students.  Professional organizations such as OCTELA and NCTE provide unique opportunities for teachers to share ideas across a broader range.  Teachers can gain insights from teachers outside of their district, often encountering vesting different viewpoints and ideas to improve their own teaching.

Criterion D₄: Communicating with Parents or Guardians About Student Learning

Nurturing a positive relationship with the parents or guardians of students is very important in the education of the students.  The teacher can begin to develop this relationship by connecting with parents first on a positive level and the continuing to keep parents up to date on what is going on in the classroom in general, and with their child specifically.  It is also for the teacher to be inclusive.  This means she shouldn’t assume that all parents and guardians have computer and internet access, nor should she assume that papers sent home with the students would make it to the parent if the parent doesn’t know they’re coming.  The teacher should also remember that simply because a parent isn’t present or active in the school doesn’t mean that the parent is apathetic about their child’s education.

Domain C: Teaching for Student Learning

In order for a teacher to teach for the best effect on her students’ learning there are several things she must consider in her planning.  She needs to be sure to appeal to as many learning profiles as she can in order to help more of her students understand the content that she is teaching.  In order to do this she should be constantly reflecting and re-evaluating her planning through the use of formative assessment.

Criterion C₁ : Making Learning Goals and Instructional Procedures Clear to Students

When considering how to make learning goals clear to student the most important thing to consider is how the teacher is presenting those goals to the student, and how the teacher is keeping the student informed.  The teacher must develop clear learning targets and present these to her students in a language they can understand.  The teacher must also communicate to her students a sense of relevancy, urgency, and immediacy.  This means the students must how learning about a certain topic applies to them, why they need to learn about this topic, and why they must learn about now.  In making the learning goals clear the teacher can have a colleague review her goals to double check that the goals are clear.

Criterion C₂: Making Content Comprehensible to Students

Relevancy is the most important aspect of making content comprehensible to students.  Teachers can use a number of strategies to make the content relevant to their students.  One way to increase relevancy and understanding is by helping student to access prior knowledge about the content, so that they can then apply that knowledge to the current aspect of learning.  Teachers can also use pop culture and technology to appeal to their students in a variety of formats that they may be more familiar with.  By varying the teaching style and format the teacher is addressing varying learning styles and multiple intelligences, increasing relevancy and making the content more comprehensible to their students.

Criterion C₃: Encouraging Students to Extend Their Thinking

The best way to encourage students to extend their thinking is to by engaging them in a discussion that they feel is meaningful and authentic.  By developing a classroom that has a comfortable atmosphere where the students are in a low-risk environment where they have the space to test out their ideas.  When the teacher is willing to engage students in a discussion, not a recitation, where there is no right answer and the students are able develop their ideas.

Another way that the teacher can encourage her students to extend their thinking is by providing lots of opportunities for group work.  Group work allows students to explore new ideas in a low-risk environment.  It also exposes students to the differing perspectives of their peers.  By putting the students in heterogeneous groups, and shifting them around often, students will have many opportunities to expand and extend their thinking.

Criterion C₄: Monitoring Students’ Understandings of Content Through a Variety of Means, Providing Feedback to Students to Assist Learning, and Adjusting Learning Activities as the Situation Demands

In order for a teacher to make sure that her students are understanding the content she is teaching it is important for her constantly use formative assessments.  This will allow her to check her students’ comprehension of the material, and determine what she may need to re-teach.   The teacher should also be sure to work within her students’ zone of proximal development to be sure that the tasks she assigns aren’t so easy to be uninteresting, and not so hard that the students are discouraged from completing the tasks.  By scaffolding activities for students the teacher can also help her students to understand what they are supposed to do, and help them to better comprehend the material.  By giving meaningful and timely feedback the teacher can also help her students to focus their learning.

The teacher should also be reflecting on her teaching and be willing to constantly revise her methods.  This reflection will allow her to adjust her teaching activities as the situation demands so that she can make her teaching as accessible as possible to as many students as possible.

Criterion C₅: Using Instructional Time Effectively

The teacher must be diligent in her planning in order to use her instruction time effectively.  She needs be have a good idea of what she needs to accomplish, and prioritize her activities so that she can be sure to get to the activities she most needs to.  The combination of having a back-up plan, and prioritizing the activities will allow the teacher to be prepared and effective in her teaching.  She should also know when to abandon an activity that doesn’t seem to be working and be willing to change direction.  Sometimes this means taking the teachable moment that the students’ present and going with it.

Domain A Exhibits: Examples of Organizing Content Knowledge for Student Learning

In my Class profile of Writers I examined aspects of my focus class in order to gauge what their interests were so that I would be able to make any content I taught relevant to them.  In line with criterion A₁ I was able to learn about the students’ prior knowledge so that I could then make the content of my lessons fit with what they were already familiar with.

Answering the question of “Why do we need to learn/do this?” is something that and understanding of criterion A₂ seeks to answer.   In my Multi-Day Teach Autumn quarter I helped students to understand the relevancy of learning to provide good description by comparing my own desire to read with their desire to read.  I asked the class if they liked to read really boring pieces of literature, and they predictably chorused “No.”  I was then able to relate to them by reminding them that Mrs. Cornelius and I have to read their papers, and we like reading boring work just as much as they do.  I also pointed out to the class that if they have trouble meeting word counts that teachers require, then the ability to write descriptive phrases and provide extended specific examples would help them to meet that goal.

Demonstrating criterion A₃ I used the knowledge of their prior knowledge to help them make connection between what they already knew, what I was teaching them, and what they were going to be learning in the future.  One of the ways I gathered information for my Class Profile of Writers was by obtaining a writing sample.  With these samples of student work I was able to assess what knowledge students already had and determine what specific areas they still needed work on.  When I was developing my lesson plan for my Multi-Day Teach Autumn quarter, I was aware of my students’ prior knowledge, and was able to tap into what they already knew about writing and help them to improve their craft.

One of the most difficult things for a teacher in this day and age can be finding materials that are both appropriate and relevant to students, as criterion A₄ suggests.  It can be hard to find materials that students will be able to relate to, but that retain some way to connect to academic content.  In my Multi-Day Teach Autumn quarter my lesson focused on tone words, and how they can be used to create parody.  At the time of my lesson, the unit that class was working in had a focus on gender roles.  So, in my search for a relevant text for the students to show them an example of parody that addressed and critiqued gender roles, I found a short movie remix of Twilight and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Twilight is part of pop culture, and from listening to my students’ casual conversations I knew that they had some familiarity with it, even if they didn’t like the book or film.  The result was that they were able to make connections to and be excited about the movie remix, “Buffy vs. Edward,” and I was able to guide them toward thinking more deeply about a subject that many of them felt they already possessed some expert knowledge on and therefore had an authority to contribute.

After teaching my students how tone words could be used to enhance their writing and create an effective parody I instructed them to write a parody of there own, evaluating them in a way that was explicitly aligned with the goals of the lesson as criterion A₅ requires.  I allowed the students to choose the base text for their parody, encouraging them to use a text we read in class that I provided a modal parody for, or to choose there own base text, such as a song or poem, that appealed to them personally.  This method made the assessment more authentic for the students because it allowed them to take more ownership of their writing by writing about a topic, or in a genre, that they cared about.

Domain A Artifact: Organizing Content Knowledge for Student Learning

In order for students to learn and understand the content knowledge that teachers are trying to impart, it is imperative that the teacher arranges and organizes the material so that it will be relevant to the student.  The primary goal here is to make the content relevant and interesting to the students first so that they’ll become engaged in the lesson, and then the teacher can bring the lesson back around to technical terminology and the source text to supplement the content.

Criterion A₁ : Becoming familiar with relevant aspects of students’ background knowledge and experience.

Becoming familiar with students’ background knowledge and experience is important because it allows the teacher to tailor her instruction to the fit with what the students are already familiar with.  By knowing what students are already familiar with, the teacher can tap into the students’ prior knowledge and make connections to knowledge they already have in order to help the students’ process and learn new concepts and ideas.

Criterion A₂: Articulating clear learning goals for the lesson that are appropriate to the students.

One of the questions that is heard with great frequency, and often frustration on the teacher’s part, is “When am I ever going to need to know this?”  One way to counter this question is to have clear learning goals that are communicated to the students.  If the teacher has a clear idea of what she is teaching her students and why, then she can communicate that reasoning to her students and being to deflect this difficult question.  If the learning goals can be communicated with clarity and they bear some relevance to the students, then the students are more likely to be interested in the content and willing to engage in the lesson.

Criterion A₃: Demonstrating an understanding of the connections between the content that was learned previously, the current content, and the content that remains to learned in the future.

By making connections to students’ prior knowledge the teacher can enhance learning of the content for the current lesson.  When a teacher works within the zone of proximal development she can drawn on knowledge that the student crialready has, link it to the content of the current lesson, and then give a projection and clues as to how the knowledge learned in the current lesson will apply to future lessons and help students as they move forward in their growth as intellectuals.

Criterion A₄: Creating or selecting teaching materials, learning activities, and instructional materials or other resources that are appropriate to the students that are aligned with the goals of the lesson.

When determining whether or not materials and activities are appropriate to the students and aligned with the lesson there are a few things the teacher must take into account.  First, the teacher must determine if the materials she chooses will appeal to the students interests in order for them to engage with and form a greater understanding of the content.  Second, the teacher must determine what is age-appropriate for her students in part by knowing her students background.  Third, the teacher must determine if the materials she has chosen are the best choice to help convey the content of the lesson.  And finally, the teacher would be wise to have alternative materials and activities arranged for students for whom the materials and activities she has chosen are not appropriate.

Criterion A₅: Creating or selecting evaluation strategies that are appropriate for the students and that are aligned with the goals of the lesson.

The main goal is choose evaluation strategies that are authentic.  The authenticity of the evaluation will help students apply the concepts of the lesson in a manner that will engage all of the knowledge they’ve acquired.  In addition to having authentic assessments, it is important that the students are being evaluated on concepts that directly relate to the learning goals of the lesson.  Meaning, if the concept wasn’t covered explicitly in the lesson, then the teacher should not be asking her students to complete a task on the concept.  Student should not be doing anything wholly new when they are being evaluated.

 

Exhibits for Domain B

Domain B Exhibits: Examples of Creating an Environment for Student Learning

My classroom management plan includes lots of examples of procedures I will be following in order to create a positive environment for student learning.  To begin with, in my classroom management plan I have included a problem solving form.  One way to be confident that students feel they are being treated fairly is to take their input into account when coming up with consequences.  On this form is a space for the student write down what he believes he can do to help him to follow a rule, as well as a space for him to make suggestions for what I, as the teacher, as well as the other students can do to help him to better follow the rule in the future.  I believe this method of discipline promotes fairness, addressing criterion B­­₁.

I also address in my classroom management plan how I will be keeping track of both good and bad behaviors.  This, in conjunction with the aforementioned problem solving form, will allow me to determine punishments that are consistent with the misbehaviors while ensuring that they will be effective to stop the misbehaviors, meeting criterion B₄.

Another way for students to feel as though they are being treated fairly it’s important to establish a rapport with them.  I will be establishing rapport with my student by journaling at the start of every class.  At the beginning of the year I will be giving the students prompts focusing around themselves, and not only do I expect them to write, I plan on responding to prompts myself as well those first few weeks, and sharing my responses with the class.  This way not only will I be getting to know my students, but they will also be getting to know me.  As the year progresses the journals will change in function, offering students a place to write about what is important to them, and also as a place for them to organize their thoughts before a class discussion.  I will continue to learn about my students as the year goes on through these journals.  By continually learning about my students and developing a rapport with them, I will be meeting criterion B₂.

Another thing I discuss in my classroom management plan is how to address cultural diversity by being sure to keep lines of communication open.  I will be starting off the year by sending a letter home to the parents/guardians of my students, which will encourage them to not hesitate in contacting me if they have concerns about my class or their student.  In addition to contacting parents I will be getting to know my students through journaling.  In building a rapport with my students I hope they will feel safe coming to me if they have a concern regarding the class.  This approach works for all sorts of situations.  If an open dialogue is maintained, and students are able to express themselves, then I will be more likely to understand them and be better able to assess their needs and concerns.  I will be able to communicate expectations to each student that will challenge him based on his ability and needs, addressing criterion B₃.

The first rule I discuss in my classroom management plan is “Be respectful to other people and their belongings.”  It will be the number one rule in my classroom because without respect the classroom cannot function in a way that is beneficial to the students or to me.  This rule covers aspects of respect such as remaining seated, listening attentively, and not interrupting while others are speaking, as well as more blatant aspects of disrespect, such as physical and verbal abuse or fighting.  This rule will be the number one way for me to meet criterion B₅ and make my classroom safe for my students so they have a positive environment that is conducive to learning.

Narrative on Domain B – Revised

Domain B: Creating an Environment for Student Learning

There are a variety of important qualities that must be present in a classroom in order for it to be an effective place for students to learn.  If students do not feel safe and comfortable in the physical environment in which they are learning, then they will have a difficult time comprehending the material that you are trying to explain to them.  In order to create this positive environment for students it is important to be as open with communication as possible in order to develop rapport with students so that they feel as though the teacher is being both consistent and fair.

Criterion B₁ : Creating a Climate That Promotes Fairness

First it is important to clarify what is meant by fairness.  If students are to feel as though they should be respectful of the teacher and the classroom, they need to feel as though they are being treated fairly.  This does not necessarily mean that the same consequence will be applied without further thought to each student in a situation, but it does mean that the consequence will fit the situation and the student(s) within the context of the situation.  Students should not have unnecessary consequences for actions that are a one-time offense, nor should a student continue to receive the same consequence for an action committed multiple times, if that consequence clearly isn’t having an effect.

Criterion B₂: Establishing and Maintaining Rapport with Students

First it is important to clarify what is meant by rapport.  Rapport is about building a relationship based on mutual trust and understanding.  An important aspect of building rapport with students is letting the students feel as though they can get to know the teacher.  If they feel they know about the teacher as a person, then they will be more likely to feel as though the teacher will understand them on a personal level, and will be more willing to approach her about problems and difficulties that they are experiencing.  It is also very important for the teacher to show the students that she trusts them.  This will, to some extent, keep them from feeling that they need to act out to get attention because the teacher is giving them positive attention by openly displaying trust in them.

Criterion B₃: Communicating Challenging Learning Expectations to Each Student

First it is important to clarify what challenging learning expectations means.  No two students are likely to have exactly the same expectations because what is challenging for one student may not be challenging for another.  In order for all of our students to achieve the highest level of success possible they need to have their needs individualized to some extent.  A teacher needs to be aware that her students are all different, and be willing to adjust her lesson planning accordingly.

Criterion B₄: Establishing and Maintaining Consistent Standards of Classroom Behavior

First it is important to clarify what is meant by consistent.  A consequence must be consistent and reasonable for the situation at hand, but not necessarily consistent from student to student.   This criterion ties in very closely with B₁, as it regards fairness, and consistency is often an aspect of what children and adolescents perceive as fairness.  It is very important in this sense then that the consequence fits the crime, or that previous actions help to build up credit.

Criterion B₅: Making the Physical Environment as Safe and as Conducive as Possible

First it is important to clarify what is meant by safe.  It is important to differentiation between safe and comfortable.  Students who feel safe are more likely to express their opinions in a class discussion, whereas students who are comfortable may not feel the need to consider an opinion other than their own.  It is important for students to feel safe by maintaining a blanket rule regarding respect.  Respect for every person in the classroom will allow for an atmosphere conducive to tackling difficult questions that require critical thinking and analysis.  This respect can be ensured by the teacher being willing to deviate from her lesson plan if a situation regarding respect or intolerance comes up.  School is a place of indoctrination for students, and it can be a place where they can learn to be accepting of all viewpoints if the teacher is willing to address these issues in her classroom.

PRAXIS Domain B: Creating and Environment for Student Learning

There are a variety of important qualities that must be present in a classroom in order for it to be an effective place for students to learn.  If students do not feel safe and comfortable in the physical environment in which they are learning, then they will have a difficult time comprehending the material that you are trying to explain to them.  In order to create this positive environment for students it is important to be as open with your communication as possible in order to develop rapport with your students so that they feel you are being both consistent and fair in your treatment of them.

Criterion B₁ : Creating a Climate That Promotes Fairness

First it is important to clarify what is meant by fairness.  If students are to feel as though they should be respectful of you and your classroom, they need to feel as though they are being treated fairly.  This does not necessarily mean that the same consequence will be applied without further thought to each student in a situation, but it does mean that the consequence will fit the situation and the student(s) within the context of the situation.  Students should not have unnecessary consequences for actions that are a one-time offense, nor should a student continue to receive the same consequence for an action committed multiple times, if that consequence clearly isn’t having an effect.

One way to be confident that your students feel they are being treated fairly is to take their input into account when coming up with consequences.  In my classroom management plan I have included a problem solving form.  On this form is a space for the student write down what he believes he can do to help him to follow a rule, as well as a space for him to make suggestions for what I, as the teacher, as well as the other students can do to help him to better follow the rule in the future.

Criterion B₂: Establishing and Maintaining Rapport with Students

First it is important to clarify what is meant by rapport.  Rapport is about building a relationship based on mutual trust and understanding.  An important aspect of building rapport with students is letting the students feel as though they can get to know you.  If they feel they know about you as a person, then they will be more likely to feel as though you’ll understand them on a personal level, and will be more willing to approach you above problems and difficulties that they are experiencing.  It is also very important to show the students that you trust them to some extent.  This will, to some extent, keep them from feeling that they need to act out to get your attention because you are giving them positive attention by openly displaying your trust in them.

One of first ways I will begin to establish rapport with my students is by allowing them to choose their own seats.  I believe that this action is one that students appreciate, because it conveys that you trust them enough to let them choose where they will sit and next to whom.  Adolescents appreciate that you trust them to choose responsibly, and will be insulted if you give off the impression that you are treating them like children and trusting them with responsibility is one of the easiest ways to avoid this impression.

Another way I will be establishing rapport with my student is by journaling at the start of every class.  At the beginning of the year I will be giving the students prompts focusing around themselves, and not only do I expect them to write, I plan on responding to prompts myself as well those first few weeks, and sharing my responses with the class.  This way not only will I be getting to know my students, but they will also be getting to know me.  I will continue to learn about my students as the year goes on throughout these journals.

Criterion B₃: Communicating Challenging Learning Expectations to Each Student

First it is important to clarify what challenging learning expectations means.  No two students are likely to have exactly the same expectations because what is challenging for one student may not be challenging for another.  In order for all of our students to achieve the highest level of success possible they need to have their needs individualized to some extent.  As teachers, we need to be aware that our students are all different, and be willing to adjust our lesson planning accordingly.

In my classroom management plan I discuss how to address cultural diversity by being sure to keep lines of communication open.  This approach works for all sorts of situations.  If an open dialogue is maintained, and students are able to express themselves, then I will be more likely to understand them and be better able to assess their needs and concerns.  I will be able to communicate expectations to each student that will challenge him based on his ability and needs.

Criterion B₄: Establishing and Maintaining Consistent Standards of Classroom Behavior

First it is important to clarify what is meant by consistent.  A punishment must be consistent and reasonable for the situation at hand, but not necessarily consistent from student to student.   This criterion ties in very closely with B₁, as it regards fairness, and consistency is often an aspect of what children and adolescents perceive as fairness.  It is very important in this sense then that the punishment fits the crime, or that previous actions help to build up credit.

In my classroom management plan I discuss how I will be keeping track of both good and bad behaviors.  This, in conjunction with the aforementioned problem solving form, will allow me to determine punishments that are consistent with the misbehaviors while ensuring that they will be effective to stop the misbehaviors.

Criterion B₅: Making the Physical Environment as Safe and as Conducive as Possible

First it is important to clarify what is meant by .  It is important to differentiation between safe and comfortable.  Students who feel safe are more likely to express their opinions in a class discussion, whereas students who are comfortable may not feel the need to consider an opinion other than their own.  It is important for students to feel safe but maintaining a blanket rule regarding respect.  Respect for every person in the classroom will allow for an atmosphere conducive to tackling difficult questions that require critical thinking and analysis.

The first rule I discuss in my classroom management plan is “Be respectful to other people and their belongings.”  It will be the number one rule in my classroom because without respect the classroom cannot function in a way that is beneficial to the students or to me.  This rule covers aspects of respect such as remaining seated, listening attentively, and not interrupting while others are speaking, as well as more blatant aspects of disrespect, such as physical and verbal abuse or fighting.